


resolution

by taeniurus (Halbeary)



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: Gen, i just want.. some goshdarn closure, vague midlink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-10-10 05:44:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17420186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Halbeary/pseuds/taeniurus
Summary: two heroes meet under a tree.





	resolution

Afterwards, one the fighting is done, after the arduous trek back from the desert, any feeling of triumph swept away by a sinking pit in his chest, he sits on the castle wall in the shade of a big tree.

He likes it here. It’s peaceful. No one disturbs him, likely because the castle guards had been decimated in the attack and have not yet been reinstated. Zelda had said something about rebuilding, but he hadn’t lingered to figure out exactly what that entailed.

It’s not his place.

His feet kick on the lightly battered bricks below. Unlike most of the castle, this section was largely untouched.

Branches of the nearby shrubbery rustle in the wind, a gentle crackling of dying leaves. Fall will be here soon. The pumpkins will be ready to harvest back in Ordon. The thought makes him frown.

The sun is beginning to set behind the distant cliffs, the sky taking on pink and orange hues that makes his heart ache.

There’s something biting in the air as the sun sets beyond the mountain and the fireflies begin their ascent into the fields below; a hidden element he wouldn’t have noticed before, but now can’t seem to ignore. A distinct feeling, like the air before the lightning strikes. It sets him on edge, makes him want to run.

Rusl had said once that it’s the “only time when we can feel the lingering regrets of spirits that have left our world”.

He never thought the meaning would turn out to be so literal.

Link drags his eyes away from the sky and stares at his feet and the gentle moving water below. His leg bounces up and down.

The silence around him is almost deafening. It’s weird to think that he’s totally alone right now. His shadow, for the first time in a while, is completely empty. He clenches his fingers in the worn fabric of his pants, teeth grinding so hard his jaw pops. The movement jostles his necklace out from behind the unlaced collar of his tunic.

His fingertips drift over the curved crystal. It vibrates with a gentle thrum that, despite its dangerous appearance, settles the bouncing of his leg. When he closes his fingers over it he can feel soft grass beneath his feet, the wind rushing through his hair, the undercurrent of a primal connection to the earth that sets his soul alight. He closes his eyes and inhales.

It’s likely just a parting gift; a final farewell and thank you, but that stubborn part of him that never knows when to goddamn quit simply refuses to let go of that last little bit of hope settled at the very back of his ribcage.

He lets out a long breath and tucks the pendant back inside his tunic. He’ll always be an optimistic fool right until the very end. Stupid.

She’s not coming back.

She  _can’t_ come back.

He taps his fingers against the worn stone, lips pressed tightly together.

One thing no one mentions in the legends: what happens to the hero after. After the battle is won, the evil vanquished and balance restored to the land. What can he do? What is he  _supposed_ to do–

Cold steel settles at his neck, a heavy weight that digs into the soft skin below his ear. He freezes, fingers caught halfway to the sword on his back.

“Dead.”

His heart pounds in his chest, adrenaline flooding his system, when he realises that he  _knows_ that voice.

A worn brown boot enters his line of sight, followed by loose fitting pants and a forest green tunic cinched with a familiar looking strip of fabric.

“Tch, I know I taught you better than that. Though,” he plops down beside him without any finesse, feet stretching out over the castle walls, two-handed sword tucked away in the unremarkable leather sheath against his back. “I suppose that you deserve a day off, after all that you’ve accomplished.”

Link hesitates for a moment, thrown by his appearance. If not for the voice, he almost wouldn’t recognize him. This comfortable farm aesthetic is a far cry from the decaying armor and exposed skeleton.

From this distance, the resemblance is uncanny.

Link leans back against his hands and tilts his head to the side curiously.

“What are you doing here?”

He watches as the Hero’s appearance shimmers briefly, blurring at the edges as he lazily points to the tree above him.

“You’re the one under my tree.”

Link glances up at the boughs. Tiny blooms of leaves have started to grow amongst the branches, despite the incoming winter.  _The cursed swordsman sleeps before the_.. ah.

He tries to elbow the Hero in the side, but his arm passes straight through. He receives a raised eyebrow in response.

“That’s not what I mean,” Link huffs. “I thought you, y’know,” he wiggles his fingers through the air, “ _moved on_.” A thought hits him, followed by an uncomfortable pang of anxiety. “Unless– you still can’t..?”

“I’m at peace, Link,” he interrupts, placing his hand on his shoulder and giving a reassuring squeeze, “thanks to you.” He looks out over the slow flowing river, at the pink-tinged peaks of gentle currents. “I’ve just–” a pause “– given too much of myself to this land to ever truly leave, I think,” he says with not a small amount of wistfulness.

He knows the feeling. A breeze hits the edge of the wall and ruffles the tips of his hair. He’s not quite sure where his hat wound up. Somewhere on the battlefield, trampled and dirtied. Hopefully the next hero prefers his ears uncovered.

A knee nudges his thigh. “So, when are you going to go?”

Link sighs. “I don’t know.” He kicks his feet against the wall, his fingers twitching with agitation. He knows he needs to go back, needs to check in on the village and the kids, needs to put the damn sword back in its pedestal.. but he doesn’t want to.

It sounds horrible, but he doesn’t  _want_ to go back.

There’s only one place he wants to be, and he can’t get there.

His companion interrupts his thoughts. “Well, it’s probably going to take a while, saying your goodbyes. You could start at the castle. Zelda probably already knows. She  _always_ knows.”

Link blinks. “My.. goodbyes?” Is this what happens after his mission is complete? Does the former hero come to take him away or something? Is that what this is?

“Well, you shouldn’t just vanish into the night. That wouldn’t be very heroic of you.”

“I don’t understand,” Link starts, brows furrowed. “I– I don’t have anywhere to go.”

A hand grabs the chain from around his neck, palming the pendant resting against his heart. The hero meets his gaze.

“Don’t you?” he asks softly.

Link’s eyes widen. Something inside him shivers. The wind settles around them, tree branches resting with gentle rattle. It’s utterly still.

“I– I can’t,” Link whispers, voice ragged with disbelief. “You know what she did. You must have seen.”

The hero turns the pendant on his necklace over in his hand, frowning in concentration. “It’s a very dark type of magic. Not evil, in the right hands, just dark. I’ve only seen it once before.” He runs a finger over his right eyelid, eyebrow furrowing. “Unique, in this realm. At least for now.” His lips quirk in a smile and he lets the necklace drop back to his chest. “A beacon, if used in the hands of a skilled magician with the right instrument.” The hero winks at him. “Lucky for you, I think there’s one who feels as if she owes you a great debt.”

Link can’t breathe, just stares down at the pendant with hope bubbling in his chest.

“Unless of course, you’d rather return to the farm,” the shade continues. “It’s not a bad life. Peaceful. You’ve earned a bit of rest.”

Link tries to imagine it– walking back into Ordon village, scarred and changed. Tries to imagine waking up every morning with his old routine, after what he’s been through. Tries to imagine having to explain to the kids why he doesn’t smile as quick, why every shadow makes him jump, why he sometimes looks into the fading twilight and feels overwhelmed by grief.

Then he imagines seeing  _her_ , even one more time. His heart thuds in his chest.

“Can I really go?” he wonders out loud, voice a whisper. He draws the Master sword and looks at it on his lap. _Will it_ let  _me go?_  It pulses faintly, as if sensing his restless thoughts. A ghostly hand hover above the blade. The Hero look at it with something like disgust.

“You’re done, Link. You’ve completed what was demanded of you.” The Hero gestures to the horizon. “It’s your own life, now. You get to choose what to do with it.”

They both stare out over the fields. The Hero pushes to his feet, twisting as if to move away. Link scrambles upward.

“Wait– what if–” the Hero pauses, turning to eye him expectantly. Link feels embarrassed, all of a sudden. He scratches at the back of his neck. “Um, I mean– she’s the one who closed the pathway. What if she doesn’t want–”

The Hero clasps a hand on his shoulder, looking more serious than he’s ever seen him. “Do not live a life of regret, Link. It festers inside of you, twisting and corrupting until that’s all that’s left.” The Hero turns to glance at the tree, something unbearably painful in his eyes. Link blinks, and it’s gone, replaced by a rueful smile. The Hero laughs, walking away once more.

“Besides, who do you think took your hat?”

Link’s hand flies to the top of his head, eyes wide. His eyes sting as a laugh is startled out of him. He watches the outline of the Hero get dimmer, fading into the evening light.

“Where will you go?” Link calls.

The Hero throws a hand up over his shoulder. “I’ve been away too long. My wife will be waiting.” He turns back towards Link once more, and for a moment, Link catches a glimpse of a bright green tunic, of the Master sword strapped to his back and a bright blue fairy hovering above his head. The shade– no,  _Link_ – smiles at him.

“I’m proud of you.” He raises his hand in farewell. “Live well, Link, and thank you.”

Link smiles, face wet as he waves back. “Be at peace, Link.”

**Author's Note:**

> taking zelda related prompts @ my [tumblr](taeniurus.tumblr.com)!


End file.
